


Bloomfield Horrors

by writersunited4ever



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2019-11-06 18:23:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17944811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writersunited4ever/pseuds/writersunited4ever
Summary: Within the whole of the world, lies a small population. This population consists of creatures that are only ever heard of in stories and myths. In a small town, hidden away is something ancient which can be used for great and terrible actions. The sole purpose of this object was supposed to be used to protect any and all things that belong to this small population. However, a group of teenagers is about to discover that there is something out there that is willing to do anything in order to seize control and use it to seal these creatures away and use their powers for their own gain.





	1. Police Report

Bloomfield Police Department Report

Case Number: 172049  Date: 08/05/2016

 

Within the whole of the world, lies a small population. This population consists of creatures that are only ever heard of in stories and myths. In a small town, hidden away is something ancient which can be used for great and terrible actions. The sole purpose of this object was supposed to be used to protect any and all things that belong to this small population. However, a group of teenagers is about to discover that there is something out there that is willing to do anything in order to seize control and use it to seal these creatures away and use their powers for their own gain.

The story takes place on the top of a tall cliff face found at the edge of a town known as Bloomfield County in California. Bloomfield population rest currently at thirty thousand citizens and was known as a peaceful and beautiful tourist spot. The scenery around the town is beautiful with trees surrounding it on three sides and rolling hills on the fourth. The town has three elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. The next town over is located fifty miles away and an airport located somewhere in between. 

The real story is centered around a group of teenagers, ten to be exact. Each student has their own story that we will follow as they live through three years of what will become hell. Throughout this story many will come and go to help the teens complete their destiny, but only a few will stay for the whole adventure. 

 

Reporting Officer:   Date:08/05/2016

Sworn to and subscribed before me this       day of 2016

Total Pages: 

Notary/Law Enforcement Officer: 

Supervisor Approval:                                    Date: 

  
  


**Name:** Nicholas Sprite. 

Hair: short spiky and black 

Eyes: ocean blue

Height: 5’7”

Physical Description: Skin is as white as snow, freckles spread across his high cheekbones and the bridge of his nose. Skinny and built for athletics, built for running. 

Hobbies: soccer team, even though he does not get to play too often. Plays video games. Likes action movies. 

**Name:** Lucas Rivers (Nicholas’s best friend)

Hair: black; short on the sides and longer on the top. 

Eyes: dark emerald green. 

Height: 5’10” 

Physical Description: skin is naturally tan with faint freckles on his cheeks, though they can hardly be seen with his dark skin. He is skinny and has muscles. 

Hobby: Soccer, video games, action movies, and likes about any sports. 

**Name:** Russell Terry

Hair: long red hair, grown past his ears and wears it in a ponytail most days. 

Eyes: Forest green eyes 

Height: 6’2”

Physical Description: He has very pale skin as well which burns easily in the sun. his body is built sturdy almost like a football player but is perfect to play blocker in soccer. His face is round, with a little bit of fat under his cheeks.  

Hobbies: Plays soccer is the ‘star’ of the team, plays the blocker most times. 

**Name:** Ross Terry (Russell’s younger brother by one year)

Hair: Red hair like his brother, but wears it short and is a darker red 

Eyes: Pale green 

Height: 5’8”

Physical Description: Would be a swimmer if the school had a team. His skin has a light tan. He is skinny but with small muscles. He is built like an athlete same as his brother

Hobbies: Video games, reading books, swimming, does not play any sports. 

**Name:** Jackson Simpson 

Hair: Dirty blond hair 

Eyes: Hazel 

Height: 5’9”

Physical Description: Jackson is not built for sports. He has some muscles as he does have a small workout routine, has tan skin and a surfer’s body, sharp nose and cheeks.

Hobbies: Running, His workout routine consists of running two miles every morning before school, spends the summer at the beach.

**Name:** Kara Tale

Hair: long black hair that reaches to the middle of her back with bangs across her forehead

Eyes:  dark green 

Height: 6’

Physical Description: very tan skin, a naturally slight build, is sometimes called scrawny, tall for her age, her slight build allows her to hide in spaces that most people can’t 

Hobbies: Spy on people. While she may be tall for her age, her slight build allows her to hide in spaces that most people can’t. 

**Name:** Isabelle Black

Hair: Strawberry blonde that ends at her waist

Eyes: Dark blue

Height: 5’9”

Physical Description: Slightly pale skin, slight athletic build, is able to fight, has muscles in her arms and legs, has long legs and arms, is able to jump pretty high 

Hobbies: Work out, took self-defense lessons, goes running 

**Name:** JJ Thompson

Hair: Short light brown hair that ends just a couple of inches past her shoulders

Eyes: Dark brown

Height: 5’9”

Physical Description: Dark tan skin, looks taller than her actual height, average weight, is not athletic at all, has a small cut on her chin from when she was nine.

Hobbies: Books, drawing, journaling, movies, tv  

**Name:** Emily Hinton

Hair: Dark brown with neon red tips

Eyes: Pale blue

Height: 6’

Physical Description: Olive skin, skinny with some muscles but not necessarily athletic as she doesn’t work out or play any sports, has the typical look of an California Girl.

Hobbies: None

**Name:** Eve Forester

Hair: Black hair in a longer bob 

Eyes: Blue

Height: 5’10” 

Physical Description: Olive skin, average looking, has hidden muscles and is not athletic, short torso, and long legs, looks outdoorisy. 

Hobbies: Running, hiking, fishing, sailing

 


	2. The Note

Dear Readers, 

If you received this letter, before opening the book that was included in this package, find somewhere that makes you feel safe. Only tell the people that you absolutely trust your location. You are being hunted. Heed my words, for they may save your life. The book tells a story about a group of teenagers who have fought bravely in what your people may someday call a War. 

Each teenager had a important part in the fight which allowed for the letter and book to reach the outside. Please read the book all the way through before making any rash decisions, for the world has become more dangerous for the ones that used to be hidden. If at the end of the book, you don’t believe the events contained within, look up on the internet the town Bloomfield. However, whatever you do, do not, I repeat: DO NOT, go to the town, they will kill you. If after researching the town and reading the book you would like to join the fight, the only thing I can tell you to do is find Copella.  

The adventure began four nights before the second week of Sophomore year. Throughout the story there will be times where you will think that the events are fictional. However, I guarantee that everything in these words are true. The purpose of this story is not to scare you but to warn people. Not everyone believes in the supernatural, but I am promising you that it is real. If you cannot find it within yourself to believe my words, then put down the book as it will only draw attention to yourself. 

I wish you luck in your journey, you are going to need it…  

  
  


 


	3. The Attack

~The Attack~ 

At the center of town, the great grandfather clock strikes midnight. To the east lies a deep forest. This area of town gives off a forbidding aura to any one who gets too close to it, putting it right in the center for rumors and dares between the younger population. The most popular rumor is that there’s monsters living within the trees. Over the year’s children have dared each other to spend a night in the woods and prove the rumors false. However, so far there hasn’t been a single person that has completed the dare. Until the night of September 5, 2016; a night that all involves knows should go down in the town’s history of the night everything changes. 

The day of that fateful night, two teenagers were drawn into an argument in school with three others about such rumors, where two believes the rumors are true. The other three did not agree and therefore the argument became rather heated. In the end, the most arrogant of the group opens his mouth and sets the trap. “If you two losers believe the rumors then you would want to prove them right, don’t you?” The boy, Russell smirks. The two boys; Nicholas “Nick” Sprite and Lucas “Luke” Rivers, who believe in the rumors look at each other, silently questioning the line of conversation. They know it’s a trap, however, they too know that they just walked right into it. They look back to the other boy and hesitantly nod in agreement. Still smirking Russell continues smugly, “Well then I dare you two jokers to spend the night in the woods and tomorrow at school come in with proof of these so called ‘monsters.” 

Before Nick or Luke can protest the bell for seventh period rings and everyone scurries to their classes. The friends share one last look before following the crowd’s lead and dejectedly heads to their seventh period chemistry glass. “You just had to go and get into an argument with Russell, didn’t you?” Luke whines as he walks into the class. 

“Hey! This isn’t my fault. You could have pulled us away from the conversation! And if I remember correctly you were part of the discussion too!” Nick protests defensively. 

“Take your seats! You are already two minutes late!” The chemistry teacher, Mr. Brewer states hotly. The boys mutely nod in reply before quickly making their way to the middle set of desks. Luke and Nick have learned the hard way that it was not a smart idea to talk off topic during the class, unless they want to get a week long after school detention. The class goes painfully slow and by the time the bell ending class rings, Nick is vibrating in his seat. He stands up so quickly in his hurry to finish their discussion, his stool is in danger of falling. Nick saves it by placing his backpack on top to make it easier to shove his notebooks in. 

“OK, I admit that I took too long to figure out where the conversation was heading, but I warned you not to stop and talk to them!” Luke points out. Nick shots his best friend a glare before making his way out to the hallway. “Still, you are supposed to be keeping me out of trouble, especially after what happened last week!” Nick cheekily points out. Luke heaves a heavy sigh and shakes his head at his weird friend. “I still don’t understand how you made the taco meat in the cafeteria explode!” Luke complains. Nick just taps the side of his nose with his pointer finger and then presses the same finger on his lips signaling that he won’t tell. “That my dear friend is a secret that you’ll just have to keep wondering about.” Nick cackles and throws his arm around Luke’s shoulders and gives them a squeeze before letting him go. Luke in reply just shakes his head and with slump shoulders shuffle down the hall behind his friend. 

They continue the next two class periods in their normal manner, however, that changes when they finally reach the last period: gym. They previously agreed that they would wait until they head outside to talk about their plan for their night in the woods. By the time the gym teacher lets them out onto the track Nick has a secretive smirk on his face. He has already built up a plan in his head during the last two periods. They agree to meet at the edge of the woods at the entrance of the old wildlife reservoir that was shut down many years ago. The entrance is set back a bit providing the perfect cover for their vehicles. They will meet at eleven thirty as both knows that their parents will have gone to work by then. 

Luke will bring the snacks and Nick will take care of the camping equipment. By the time the school day finally end adrenaline and anticipation are coursing through Nick’s body driving his energy skyrocketing. They race home to finish as much homework that can be done during the few hours before the time they had agreed to meet at the woods. For Luke this is done easily as when he becomes excited enough about something his attention and concentration sharpen. Nick on the other hand who has never been diagnosed with ADHD, but is easily distracted, and his body contains too much energy should be. This makes it harder for him to do homework as he usually goes on a different tangent. While he works on his school work, you’ll find him running five other searches that are unrelated to his assignments. 

By the time Nick has to head out for the woods he has only completed half of his school work for the night and has printed out fifteen pages of rumors and myths about the woods. He was also able to find a website where people can post their own stories about the Bloomfield woods. Nick was so excited that he found that the website could be downloaded as an app as well, which he immediately did. Afterwards, he posts on the website about Luke and his plans to spend the night in the woods and try to get undeniable proof that the rumors are true. Following his post, the website’s traffic which has slowly been declining kicks into gear, causing him to spend hours on his phone. 

Nick leaves his house at eleven since it is about thirty minutes’ drive to the woods, and the conversations from the website prevents him from waiting any longer. When he pulls up to the edge of the forest in his four-door high riding red jeep, Luke is siting on a fallen log. Nick jumps down from his car with a huge smile on his face. “You will never believe all the things that I found in the last few hours!” Nick crows happily. 

“Good for you. Meanwhile, I was finishing my homework. Do we really have to do this? Can’t we just fake some photos and then go to my house and we could play video games.” Luke pleads. 

“No way, dude! I’ve put too much time into researching into things. Plus, I highly doubt that we would be able to fool Russell with a bogus photo.” Nick exclaims with a wide flail of his hands and a head shake. He pulls out two sleeping bags and two electric lanterns, and a full packed backpack from the back seat of his jeep. Luke sighs and crosses his arms before jumping off the log on the other side and glares at his best friend. Nick only graces him with a smirk before joining Luke and shoving one of the sleeping bags and lantern into his arms and walks deeper into the trees.  They walk for a few miles in silence while Nick consults the GPS on his phone for the place, he had determined to be the best place to capture a picture of the monster. “OK, this is the place that we are going to set up in. I brought a few surveillance cameras that I found in the basement. We’ll set up one of the camera’s facing our campsite so if the ‘monster’ comes here the camera will get it. And the rest we can spread throughout the forest within a two-mile radius.” Nick explains while unpacking his backpack. Luke grunts in agreement while unpacking his own bag. After they are done taking out the things that they need for later, they spread out a few feet looking for sticks, small logs, and rocks for their fire. 

By the time their campsite is completely put together it is now one thirty and so far, nothing has happened. “Are we really going to stay here all night? It’s been two hours and we haven’t seen anything to suggest that there are really monsters in these woods.” Luke complains again. Nick doesn’t say anything in response to this as he is too busy in one of the trees that surrounds their campsite trying to set up the last camera. “Don’t be such a baby, Luke! We’ll stay for a few more hours and if nothing happens then we’ll leave. But if we go to school later without any proof, we’ll never hear the end of it from Russell!” Nick instructs hotly. They settle on their sleeping bags and start to pass around the snacks that Luke had brought for them to eat while they wait. “At least tomorrow is Friday. This weekend you are going to help me practice for soccer tryouts next week, right?” Luke questions. 

“This again? Are you really going to try and play on the field more this year? I mean don’t get me wrong I’m starting to get antsy about playing more too. But I still think it we should have train more over the summer. The other guys on the team are obsessed with the game. It’s like they eat, sleep, and breathe soccer!” Nick lectures with wild hand gestures to emphasize his points. 

“I know, but I was busy with work all summer, plus dad sent me to visit mom a lot too.” Luke defends. 

“I know, I know. I’m just saying don’t get your hopes up that we’ll see some more action this year than last year.” Nick sooths. Luke nods with a pensive frown on his face, staring into the fire. The next few minutes past in silence as each of them are lost in their thoughts. The silence is suddenly shattered by a far-off noise that should not have been heard in their region. A howl splits the air, causing Nick and Luke’s hairs to rise on the back of their necks and along their arms. The howl is followed by a loud thud and the ground shakes as something big falls. Nick and Luke share an alarmed look before they are shambling up and racing towards where they thought the sounds came from.  _ That didn’t come from any of the areas that we placed the cameras around.  _ Nick thinks with a frown. They come to a sudden stop and looks around trying to remember in which direction the sounds had come from. All they can hear for a few minutes is the sound of their panting breath, when the sounds of fighting come from straight ahead. Nick and Luke share a look before they slowly creep forward to where the sounds are coming from and stop before a small clearing but keep back from the shadows. 

In the middle of the clearing is a young man who can’t be older than twenty and no younger than eighteen. He is crouched on his toes while using the tips of his fingers on his right hand to hold his balance. His left hand and arm are raised straight out and to the side and something sharp glints from his nails. The half moon crescent that was previously hidden behind clouds is slowly peeking out. The two best friends share confused looks before turning back to the young man in the clearing. He is looking straight ahead and following his line of sight, the two boys have to choke back twin gasps of shock. Emerging from between two trees on top of a small hill is another man. This man is in his early thirties and there is something strange and slightly off about his face. 

It takes Nick and Luke a few minutes to process what they are seeing. The clouds that previously were blocking the light of the moon have moved on by now. This gives a clear view of the older man. He is grinning at the other showing off how his incisors on his upper and bottom jaw have sharpen to a point. His ears have elongated to a point and his sideburns grow down to just under his chin.  _ “Oh shit.”  _ Nick mouths to Luke in horror. They turn back to the two people in the clearing when the older man starts talking in a gravelly voice. “You shouldn’t have come back.” 

“Yeah, well you didn’t leave me much choice.” The younger of the two retorts. Nick fumbles in his pockets for his phone to get a picture. “What are you doing?” Luke hiss. 

“Getting the picture!” Nick hisses back as he pulls up the camera on his phone. 

“No way! We don’t have time for this. Let’s get out of here before one of them sees us!” Luke demands, as he raises half way from his own crouched position. As he stands up before starting to back away from the clearing, he steps on a twig. The snap from it breaking is like a gunshot going off in the silence. The two people in the clearing whirls to face where the two boys are hiding. The younger man changes to look similar to the other. “Oh shit! Look what you did!” Nick yells angrily as he too stands up. They took off back into the woods while weaving around the trees to hopefully throw off the two other man. They can hear the sound of pounding feet behind them, although one set sounds different. 

By the time they reach their camp site the sounds of the two people chasing them have faded away, but Nick and Luke are too spooked to hang around anymore. They hurry to pack up their belongings before racing out of the forest to where Nick had parked his jeep. However, they don’t make it back before the sounds of someone following them returns. Without looking at each other they try to run even though they are weighted down by their backpacks. They are within a hundred feet of the tree line when off to their left they hear someone yell. “No, Ian, wait!” It’s too late something barrels into them knocking Luke and Nick to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Then there is a sharp pain in Nick’s ankle, and Luke’s shoulder before they both black out. 

  
  



	4. The Ritual

~The Ritual~

“Then let’s go! The sooner you get home, the quicker we can find out why the police were in the woods the other night. Plus I’m starting to get anxious about our injuries.” Luke reasons as he quickly makes his way over to Nick’s jeep. “OK, Ok! I’m coming. You don’t have to be such a worry wart!” Nick whines. The drive to Luke’s house is silent, as they both have too many worries in their minds. As Luke jumps out of the jeep, Nick promises to call him once he gets answers from his dad. When Nick arrives home it is to find that his dad has spread out papers all across the dining room table. “Hey, dad. What are you working on?” Nick questions subtly. 

“Just this new case that has been giving us a hard time for the last few weeks.” Nick’s dad, Alexander, answers absentmindedly. Nick nods as he tries to take a peek at the files that are laid across the table. “How was school today?” Alexander questions, as Nick walks into the kitchen to grab a snack. 

“It was good. Boring as usual.” Nick assures. 

“So, no trouble? You haven’t pulled any pranks recently?” Alexander continues. 

“No. I promised that I would try and behave more, didn’t I?” Nick retorts. 

“Ok, calm down. I’m just kidding.” Alexander chuckles as he starts to put together one of the five files scattered across the table. “So what case are you working on?” Nick asks tentatively while eating an apple. “There was an anonymous, nine-one-one call about a disturbance in the woods at the edge of town. I pulled up past case files that have to do with the woods when I got back to the station after making sure you and Luke left. Speaking of which why exactly were you boys in the woods?” Alexander questions with his arms crossed. 

“Oh, well. Russelldaredustogointothewoods.” Nick mumbles nervously. 

“What was that?” Alexander demands.

“Russell dared us to go into the woods.” Nick repeats a little louder. His dad stares at him silently through narrow eyes. “So, what was the anonymous call about?” Nick quickly steers the conversation away from the previous topic. Alexander doesn’t answer for a few more seconds before finally breaking the tension. “The caller only said that they heard screams coming from the woods. But we spent all day in the woods, and we found no evidence of a struggle.” Alexander answers. 

“So now what?” Nick questions confused. 

“Nothing, the call was filed and is tentatively labeled as being a prank.” Alexander sighs. The two sit in silence as they are too wrapped up in their thoughts for conversation. “Wait, if the call was labeled a prank, why did you pull past case files?” Nick questions. 

“We had no choice but to file the call under a prank since nothing came from it, but I have a feeling that it was something more. There is something not right about the woods.” Alexander frowns down at the papers on the table. 

“I know. I felt the same thing when Luke and I were there the other day.” Nick says with a shiver. Alexander nods in agreement. “So anything interesting in those case files?” Nick questions. 

“Some people hunting out of season, a few animal attacks, and three people went missing during a hunting trip.” Alexander rattles off. 

“So only the three people who went missing are suspicious.” Nick surmises. His dad nods in agreement before putting together another file to put off to the side. “What did the nine-one-one call say?” Nick questions excitedly. Nick’s dad pulls out a tape recorder from his pocket and rests it on the table. 

_ ~nine-one-one operator. What is your emergency?~ _

_ ~I-I think I heard someone screaming. In the woods at the edge of town.~  _

_ ~Are you in the woods? What is your name?~ _

_ ~...~  _

_ ~Don’t hang up. Help is on the way. I am sending the police to the woods. If you can, I need a description of where in the woods you are...~  _

“Then the person hung up. We aren’t even sure whether it was male or female.” Alexander explains further after turning off the recorder. 

“Can’t you trace the number?” Nick questions confused. 

“No, it looks like the call was made by a burner phone.” Nick’s dad sighs, rubbing his forehead tiredly. “Do you feel like making dinner, or should we order something” Alexander questions. 

“Let’s order out. I’m too tired to cook.” Nick answers with a yawn. Alexander nods in agreement, before getting up to pull out the pile of take-out menus. Nick runs upstairs to drop off his stuff from school and shoots off a quick text to Luke that he has some interesting things to talk to him about. Nick and his dad decide on ordering pizza, as it is simple and quick. “Tomorrow I am taking a few deputies into the woods to continue searching for the possible scene. Can you hang out at Luke’s for the day without getting into any trouble?” Alexander questions as they wash the dishes. 

“Sure, we’ll go to a park and practice soccer.” Nick agrees. 

“Oh, yeah. You guys wanted to play in the games more, right?” Nick’s dad questions innocently. 

“Yeah. Well, Luke does. I’m just happy to be on the team. But if my game improves in consequence of help Luke, well that’s just a bonus.” Nick answers slyly. His dad laughs. 

“Well, I’m going to head upstairs and work on some homework.” Nick says as he starts to back out of the room. His dad just hums in acknowledgment. When Nick gets up to his room, he texts Luke to tell him to log on Skype so that they could talk. A few minutes later both Nick and Luke are looking at each other through a screen. “So, what did you find out?” Luke questions immediately. 

“There was a nine-one-one call about screams in the woods. But the person hung up without giving a name. And the best part? The call came from a burner phone!” Nick exclaims. 

“No way. Seriously?” Luke questions, “anything else?” 

“No that’s it. Well, except that my dad is going back into the woods tomorrow, to continue the search.” Nick explains, “this means we can get our injuries check out, and our parents don’t have to know.” 

“Good idea, I rather not tell my dad what we were doing.” Luke smiles in relief. 

“Yeah. Well, I have a ton of homework I have to do, so I’m going to go. But I’ll text you tomorrow.” Nick promises before logging off. He works on his homework in peace for a few hours, the only sound in the house is the click of Nick’s laptop keys and his dad downstairs. Around eleven Nick finishes his homework and moves around his room getting ready for bed. Just as he is getting ready to climb into bed it happens. All the hairs stand up on his arm, the room’s temperature seems to drop a few degrees, and he swears he can hear music. The music isn’t something you would usually hear in a small town. He turns to his window and pulls it open so that he could hear better. Just beneath the beats of drums, there seems to be a voice. It is just a whisper on the wind, but it seems to have a hypnotic tone to it. 

It pulls him closer to the window, and in a trance, Nick crawls out the window and without thought, jumps to the ground. He lands without a whisper of sound, before taking off into the woods, that line his backyard. His feet seem to lift off the ground more and more with each step he takes until he is flying through the trees. To anyone in the area, his movements, shake the underbrush and is only a shadow to the eyes. As he races for the exact center of the woods, the voice’s volume increases, revealing that it is, in fact, multiple ones. The beat of drums grow louder as well, vibrating the forest floor, and a soft melody floats on the air. When he is only a few feet from the center, his feet automatically slow until he is walking on his toes. This muffles his footsteps, and his breathing is slow and even, despite how fast and far he just ran. 

He can see the trees thinning out, and he comes to a stop right before a clearing. Peering around the trees he is shocked by what he sees. The voices are now clearly chanting, the drum beats should be drowning out all other noises, but he can hear everything perfectly. The voices are a soft and slow melody, the drums add another layer over them, without silencing them. Over the two layers are the sweet sounds of a flute and violin. His eyes glaze over, and seem to glow an ethereal light, the ocean blue deepens. His skin lightens until it seems translucent, and his veins are clearly seen, emitting a blue color, as if he is frozen. His already dark hair, sharps until it makes a clear night sky with no stars or moon. Without conscious thought, Nick steps out from behind the trees and walks towards the center of the clearing. In the middle of the clearing are two circles of what might be people. They would be short of stature if they were standing, and they have an otherworldly feeling to them. The outer circle of people is making the noises. Some of them are chanting, while others are playing what might be violins, and hitting old fashion drums. The inner circle is sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed and humming softly under their breath. 

Nick makes his way into the middle of the two circles before lying down with his hands resting by his side, palms flat on the ground. By the time he settles, the music reaches a crescendo before finishing with a last strike on the drums, that continues to vibrate in the air long after it should. The moon in the night sky above move out from behind the clouds that hid it from sight, and a single moonbeam shines down on Nick’s prone form. His body seems to float off the ground a few inches, and a glow grows brighter slowly until his form is just a faint outline through the light. The violin is now the only noise left in the clearing, and although Nick is still within a trance, he registers it in his subconscious mind. It pulls up images of a world that have been long lost. Deep forests, bright blue oceans, a clear star-filled sky, many beautiful waterfalls, sparkling lakes, and miles of open fields, among many other untouched nature areas. Suddenly the sounds of the peaceful violin grow darker and the scenes in Nick’s head changes faster. The light around Nick’s body increases. Discomfort appears on Nick’s side above his right hip, and sharper, turning into a bright, burning pain. With a bright flash of light, the pain disappears, the sound of the violin stops, and the clearing in the woods is once again empty. The grass is left undisturbed, the two circle of people are gone. The clearing is still once again. 

 


	5. The Full Moon

~The Full Moon~ 

Nick’s alarm clock vibrating across his nightstand is the first thing he hears when his eyes snap open. He swings an arm around to slam down on the snooze button cutting off the irritating noise abruptly. Nick rolls over to face the window with a long groan. His eyes slide close again, before popping open when a warm breeze creases his cheek. To his confusion one of the bedroom windows is open, his light blue curtain blowing in the breeze. He cautiously climbed out bed and creep over to the window confused. He sticks his head out the window to look around, searching for a cause for why it is open. The only evidence of what happened is a footprint exiting his window. Nick shakes off the uncertainty of where the print came from by closing the window, and shoving it to the back of his mind.  
Nick focuses on getting ready for school, but when he goes to take off the t-shirt he wore to bed last night, his muscles shrieks in protest. With his now aching body making itself known he decides to wear a simple outfit of a black v-neck, dark wash jeans, and Adidas sneakers. It takes him a bit longer to finish getting ready for school, so he texts Luke before he leaves that he is running behind. By the time Nick pulls up to the curb in front of Luke’s house, there hasn’t been a reply. A minute later Luke exits his house with a scowl on his face, and Nick scrambles to think of what could have made Luke annoyed, but he comes up blank.  
Luke has barely even opened the car door before he is off in a tangent. “Wow, hold on Luke. I didn’t get any of that!” Nick protests as he pulls away. 

“I asked what happened to you last night?” Luke questions, still angry. 

“Nothing.” Nick shrugs, “why?” 

“Well, I thought that we were supposed to meet up and get our ‘bites’ looked at.” Luke reminds Nick. 

“Oh, well, I forgot. I was kind of busy last night.” Nick states hesitant. 

“Doing what? You just said that you weren’t doing anything last night.” Luke argues ticked off. 

“And I wasn’t. I was just researching a lot of different things.” Nick lies not wanting to admit that he actually doesn’t know what he did last night. 

“What could take all night to research?” Luke huffs. 

“Well, it wasn’t just one thing. I would come up with an idea and I would look into for awhile which would sometimes lead me in another direction.” Nick trails off. 

“Well, you could have texted me! I stayed up really late last night waiting to hear from you!” Luke exclaims hotly. 

“Sorry. I was in a zone. You know what I’m like when I get so involved in the research.” Nick defends. 

“Still,” Luke answers still angry. 

“Look, I’m sorry, ok. I will try and not do it again. Let’s go get the bites checked tonight.” Nick sooths. 

“I can’t, I’m supposed to bring dinner to my dad, and besides I have too much homework to do.” Luke groans. 

“Sorry dude. If you get done early let me know. And let me at least give you a ride to pick up the dinner and then I’ll drop you off at the hospital to make up for blowing you off last night. And I’ll even give you a ride home from the hospital too.” Nick pleads as he pulls into the parking lot at school. “Fine, but you’ll still owe me.” Luke caves. 

“Deal.” Nick grins happily before climbing out of his jeep. It isn’t until lunch that something interrupts the monotone of the school day. Nick and Luke are in the middle of a normal conversation when the hairs stand up on Nick’s arm. He looks out the windows covering one wall of the cafeteria and he jerks in his seat. Nick clamps down on Luke’s wrist, “I think the younger man from the woods is in the parking lot.” Nick hisses. 

“What?” Luke questions, before looking out the window for himself. In one of the spaces reserved for visitors is parked a red mustang. Standing next to the car is the younger male from the woods when Nick and Luke were attacked. “What is he doing here?” Luke exclaims. 

“I don’t know. I don’t even know who he is!” Nick answers. They sit there staring at the other male before they grab their stuff and rushes out of the cafeteria. However, when they exit the school the other is gone. “Damn!” Luke hisses kicking the ground in frustration. 

“Calm down. I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing him again.” Nick soothes. 

“And you know this because?” Luke complains. Nick shrugs in answer before heading back into school as the bell ending lunch rings. Luke follows Nick back into the school in a huff. The rest of the day goes by normally and before they realize it the school day is over and the two are hurrying over to Nick’s jeep. By the time they arrive at the hospital Nick has decided that he is going to get his wound check without Luke. Nick waits in the lobby of the hospital for Luke to round the corner with his dad’s dinner, before ambling over to the front desk. “Excuse me, but could I have someone look at this?” Nick questions before going to the side of the desk to show the nurse behind it the wound on his ankle. 

“I’ll need you to fill out these forms before I can call someone to take a look.” The nurse explains, handing Nick a clipboard with five papers attached. Nick takes it and with a small dip of his head turns to take a seat in the small waiting room. After five minutes of filling out previous hospital or doctor visits, Nick brings the papers up to the nurse’s station. “Here, you go.” 

“OK, take a seat again and a doctor will be with you in a moment.” The nurse instructs while taking the clipboard. Nick retakes his seat and pulls out his phone and starts a game. Five minutes into the game, a young male doctor pokes his head through the swinging doors at the end of the hall, calling Nick’s last name. He jumps up and makes his way over to the doctor and follows him into the back where rows of beds on either side rests. The doctor leads Nick to a gurney in the middle of the lines and has him sit on the edge. “Hello, Nick, my name is Doctor Cunningham. According to your file, you are here about a wound on your ankle.” Doctor Cunningham questions. 

“Yes, sir. My friend and I were camping in the woods a few days ago when something attacked us. We didn’t get a good look at the thing, but when we escaped the woods, we saw the wounds.” Nick patiently explains. 

“Take your shoes off and lay back on the gurney so that I can take a look.” Doctor Cunningham instructs. Nick follows his instructions while the doctor pulls on rubber gloves over his hands. He pokes and prods the wound making little humming sounds as he does. “Let me take some swabs of the wound and see if there might still be saliva for testing.” The doctor explains as he grabs two cotton swabs. He swipes them over the surface of his ankle and sets them down on the cart. “OK, I’m going to put some antibiotic cream on the wound and you can go to the store and grab a generic antibiotic cream from the selves.” Doctor Cunningham explains carefully as he works. 

“OK, thanks doc.” Nick agrees. 

“All done. I’ll send these samples to get tested and I should have the results back in a few days.” The doc explains with his back turned to Nick and writing his notes down on a clipboard. Nick pulls his socks and shoes back on and hops down off the gurney. He shakes hands with the doctor before heading back out to the waiting room. He checks his phone to see that Luke sent a text saying that he was heading back down. Nick doesn’t say anything about what he did until they are in the car and Nick has pulled out of the parking lot. “So while you were talking to your dad, I went ahead and got my ankle looked at,” Nick explains hesitantly, not sure how Luke will react. 

“What? Why didn’t you wait for me? I thought that we would get our injuries looked at together!” Luke complains. 

“Well, I thought since we were there I could get it looked at and since we were bitten by the same thing, the results of my test would have matched what your test could have returned with,” Nick answers patiently. Luke is quiet for a few minutes thinking it over, before finally letting the issue go with a huff. “Fine. But I’m still mad at you, just so you know.” Luke claims and turns to look out the window. The rest of the ride to Luke’s house is quiet with the radio turned low, playing in the background. “So how long until your test results come back?” Luke finally questions two blocks from his house. 

“The doc said that it would take a few days, so probably by the end of the week,” Nick explains as he pulls up out front of Luke’s house. The two friends sit in silence for a few minutes before they share a look and Luke climbs down from the jeep with a sigh. “I’ll text you later tonight, I think that I’m going to do a more in-depth background check of the woods. I feel like I’m missing something,” Nick informs Luke. 

“And you promise to remember to call me this time?” Luke demands with his arms crossed. 

“Yes, I swear. I’ll even put a sticky note on my laptop to remind me.” Nick promises with a grin. Luke returns the smile before heading into his house. Nick pulls away and in no time is pulling into his own driveway. He cuts the engine and just sits in silence for a few minutes trying to gather his thoughts. While Nick is taking out the keys to unlock his front door, a chill crawls up his spine and the hairs on the back of his neck raises. He pauses gripping the door handle and casually looks around over his neighbor’s yards and down both sides of the street. Nick doesn’t spot anyone suspicious, but since it still feels like he is being watched, he hurriedly opens the door and into the house. He quickly closes the door and locks it including the deadbolt before he races upstairs to his bedroom. 

Although he is safely in his bedroom, the disturbing feeling should have disappeared and yet Nick still feels slightly off. He changes out of the clothes he wore to school and into black sweats and a black short sleeve shirt while he waits for his laptop to boot up. Just as he goes to sit down at his desk to begin his research the air around him changes. It feels like there is an electrical charge in the air and all the little hairs on Nick’s body raises. The light in his room has changed as well, the shadows cast by the sun grow in length as the sun slowly creeps through the sky. It feels as if there is an itch in the back of his mind and for a second Nick could have sworn that he heard the sound of tribal drums beating just at the edge of his hearing. His muscles grow tense, as the feeling of being watch returns in tenfold, and the sensation of claws reaching out of the shadows grips his spine. As the light is about to fade from his room, he develops the feeling of a monster hunting him and he stands up to back slowly from the window to stand on the other side of his bed. 

He doesn’t dare take his eyes off his window and he flinches when he thinks that he heard a thud on the roof to the side of his window. He places his body in a defensive position but can’t hold back a scream when a hand appears pressed against the window with a bang. The hand disappears and to replace it is the face of the young man from the woods when Luke and he were attacked. As soon as Nick makes eye contact with the other male’s bright forest green eyes, all the tension swiftly leaks out of his muscles for a reason unknown to himself. Without an ounce of fear, Nick crosses his room to the window and throws it open before taking a step to the side.  
The young male stops when he reaches the edge of Nick’s bed before turning around to face him with his arms crossed. Nick takes a moment to give a cursive look, taking note of the male’s short spiky black hair, the intense forest green eyes, his tan skin and the muscles lining the guy’s arms. He also notes to his dismay that the other male is taller than him by a few inches, “who are you? Why do you keep following my friend and me?” Nick demands, retaking a defensive stance, standing with his legs apart by a few inches, his muscles bunching to make a move at a moment’s notice, and his own arms crossed. 

“My name is Oliver Brooks. And I’m following you and your friend because of what happened a few nights ago and because you two are in danger.” The young man, Oliver, answers in a deep gravelly voice. 

“Oh yeah and are we supposedly in danger from?” Nick demands. 

“My uncle. Who is also the one that bit you and your friend.” Oliver explains patiently. Nick studies Oliver focusing on the minute movements to determine whether he is lying or not. After a minute of studying the microexpressions, Nick concludes that the other is no, in fact, lying to him. “Seriously? What the hell!” Nick yells and spins away from Oliver throwing his hands in the air as he does. “Look we don’t have a lot of time. We need to go to your friend's house to pick him up and get as far into the woods as we can.” Oliver implores. 

“And why should I trust you? You were in the woods too, and you said that the man that attacked us is your uncle. How do I know that you aren’t just trying to lure us into a trap?” Nick demands. 

“My uncle wants to build something that will put everyone in this town into danger, you and your friend are only the beginning,” Oliver announces.  
“Oh yeah? And just what is your uncle building and why do you care?” Nick argues. 

“My uncle is trying to build a power pack to replace one of our family who kicked him out because he was too unstable, especially after what happened that made them move away,” Oliver explains. Nick stares at him in confusion, his mind racing to put together a puzzle that doesn’t have all the pieces making the full picture blurry. After a minute Nick starts to quietly chuckle before it turns into a full-blown laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me right? You really think that I’m going to fall for that shit?” Nick snorts. However, his amusement is cut short, as he gives a small scream when he is suddenly confronted with a snarling Oliver. His canines have elongated and sharpen, his sideburns grow down to under his jaw, and his eyes have also sharpened to a point. “OK, I believe you.” Nick squeaks from where he is leaning back against his desk. Oliver shifts back to his human face and says with a smile, “great, let's go,” before making his way back over to the window. 

“Um, we can just go out the front door,” Nick advises while pointing at his bedroom door. 

“Right.” Oliver submits before pulling the window close and following Nick back downstairs and out to his jeep. They climb in and in silence head over to Luke’s house. When they get there Nick has Oliver stay in the jeep while he heads in to talk to Luke. Oliver gives a nod of agreement and pulls out his phone to wait for the two friends to come out. Nick knocks on Luke’s front door which is pulled open two minutes later. Nick tries to explain to Luke what was going on, but by the gestures that he is making anyone can tell that he isn’t having much luck. 

With a sigh, Oliver climbs out of the jeep and makes his way over to the two boys. As he comes closer he can hear Nick exclaim, “he’s telling the truth!” Oliver settles the argument by pulling the same stunt that he used on Nick. Luke gives a numb nod, before pulling the front door close behind him before following the other two back to Nick’s jeep. Nick has been driving for five minutes before anyone breaks the tense silence. “So, why do we need to go to the woods?” Luke demands as he leans forward in his seat from the back row. 

“Tonight is the first full moon since you’ve been bitten. The first is always the worst because you have yet to develop an anchor to your human side. The wolf is stronger on the full moon but with an anchor, it will turn the wolf inside docile.” Oliver explains patiently. Nick catches Luke’s eyes in the rearview mirror, and they share a skeptical look. “I’m not making this up!” Oliver growls. 

“OK, don’t get all work up. But you have admitted that this is not a normal thing for us.” Nick soothes. By this time Nick has reached the old entrance to the woods, the same one that they used that night in the woods. Nick and Luke, follow Oliver into the woods and they both feel a charge in the air. The three walk deep into the woods, but finally, Oliver comes to an abrupt stop in a small clearing. Nick opens his mouth to ask a question when he is interrupted by a low moan behind him. He looks at Oliver in confusion, only to grow worried when he notices that Oliver’s eyes are wide and his muscles lock up. Nick takes a step closer before slowly turning around to see what was behind him now making moans, growls, and whines. Nick jumps back again when he sees that Luke is the one making those noises as he is bent double.  
By this time the full moon is high in the sky and if Nick had the chance to check the time he would discover that it is two o’clock in the morning. However, Nick does not have anything to see the time, but he is currently too occupied with what is happening to his best friend. Just as Nick is once again about to ask a question, there is a loud snap and Luke throws his head back with a howl. Luke snaps his head down and when he notices Nick, a growl starts to rumble in his throat. Nick just feels Oliver’s hand gripping his shoulder tightly when Luke jumps up with a snarl and tackles Nick to the ground two feet from where he was just standing. The trumble over each other, before Nick, manages to get his legs between him and his friend and kicks Luke in the chest. The kick sends Luke flying through the air and he lands with a grunt on the other side of the clearing. Nick uses his hands to push off the ground on the side of his head to flip up into a crouch. 

Oliver has moved to stand off to the side and watches the two friends in interest. Both of the friends are crouched on a different side of the clearing studying each other. They both stand up at the same time and charge at each other. Nick doesn’t know how he understands that in order to help Luke focus and develop an anchor, he has to wear him out a bit. They meet in the middle in a clash of claws and limbs. The pace of the fight grows with each second that neither one can get the other on the ground. By the time Luke manages to knock Nick to the left and he lands at the foot of a tree their moves were too fast to follow. Nick sits up and when he goes climbing to his feet his right-hand grips a long and sturdy fallen tree branch. Nick stands up and when he does all the anger and adrenaline have left and all that’s left is an eerie calm. Not aware of what he is doing, Nick presses the branch between his two hands and brings it in front of his mouth. Nick whispers under his breath a chant before breathing on it and a small glow develops around it before it fades away. 

He locks eyes with Luke and with a grin starts to walk back over to Luke, spinning the branch between his hands. Nick stops a few feet from Luke before using his right hand to spin the branch over his hand before jamming one end into the ground with a yell and a force ripple out from the staff pushing Luke back a few more feet before being knocked off his feet. While Luke is dazed Nick walks over to him before pointing one end of the staff under Luke’s chin warning him not to move. When it looks like he isn’t going to heed Nick’s warning a loud growl rattles their bones and the fog that had covered Luke’s mind clears. In the next moment, Nick and Luke’s eyes lock and they both shift so that they are facing each other while resting on their knees. Like Nick before all emotion drains from Luke’s body leaving only behind his own eerie calm. A full minute pass before a shudder runs through their body and followed by the feeling of a rubber band snapping the calm is replaced with the feeling of normality. The two friends shakily climb to their feet before turning to face Oliver the source of the loud growl. “OK, what in the hell was that?” Luke demands unnerved. 

“That my friend is what happens when one develops an anchor with someone who you are face to face with,” Oliver explains. 

“Wait! So you're saying that Nick is my anchor?” Luke asks. 

“Yes, a person’s anchor is someone who can reel them and keep them stabilized in any situation, whether the relationship is platonic or romantic.” Oliver outlines. Luke and Nick share a shocked look, before silently agreeing to ignore that for now. They need time to adjust after what had just occurred.  
“Hold on. I was bitten just like Luke. How come I didn’t transform like Luke?” Nick questions. 

“I have a theory about that, one that especially think is true after witnessing the fight between you two,” Oliver reassures. 

“Well, what is this theory of yours? And how do we prove it?” Nick asks. Oliver opens his mouth to explain when a dark blur flies from the trees and knocks the three to the ground. They turn on their hands and knees to see what had just tackled them. Their four feet away and crouch on their hunches, is who can only be Ian, Oliver’ s uncle. “What are you doing here?” Oliver growls. 

“Why I’m here to collect my betas of course.” Ian drawls. 

“You're too late. They already transformed and developed an anchor. You have no power over them.” Oliver explains smugly. 

“Well, that’s disappointing.” Ian pouts. “Well if I can’t control them… I’ll just have to kill them.” That’s the only warning they have before Ian launches himself at them again. Oliver jumps up and meets his uncle in the middle before he can reach the other, shifting in midair. Luke and Nick back up to the space to fight, but with them being experienced fighters the pace in which they fight has their movements difficult to follow. With a roar, Oliver is tossed clear across the clearing and crashing into the trees. With a toothy smirk, Ian turns to face the two friends. Luke immediately shifts into his beta form and the two wolves began to circle each. Nick slowly makes a circuit around the edges of the clearing over to where Oliver had disappeared into the trees.  
He finds him groaning in a heap three feet in. Nick hurries over and helps Oliver to sit up. “Come on! Luke needs your help! I can’t fight Ian, I have nothing to fight with.” Nick pleads urgently. 

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Oliver grumbles as he stumbles to his feet. They hurry back to the clearing to discover that Luke is managing to hold his own. Oliver jumps into the fray with a snarl while Nick stands on the sidelines gripping his staff tightly. Luke is knocked on his back and he seems to be dazed. A minute later Ian managed to knock Oliver’s feet out from under him and lands on his back. Oh my god! I have to do something! Ian is going to kill them, Nick thinks frantically. Ian straddles Oliver’s waist and raises his arm above his head where his claws glinted in the light of the moon. In the next moment, time seems to slow down, at the edges of Nick’s hearing voices start to whisper. They are then joined by soft cello and flute and violin music and low percussion drum beats. with a snap, it feels like all of Nick’s senses and then some are flooded with input. He can physically feel the coolness of the moon rays as they flood the clearing, a soft breeze pets his hair, the grass seems to grow and wind around his ankles. The sounds of nightlife crash in with sharp clarity, and a heady scent tickles his nose. With all these senses Nick is overwhelmed with a peaceful feeling. Ian’s head jerks up when a strange feeling envelopes him. 

He scrambles off his nephew with a gasp and Oliver and Luke take advantage of it and moves away from Ian. They turn to see what put the fear in Ian’s eyes before also jerking in surprise. At the edge of the clearing Nick’s eyes are glowing with ethereal blue light, his hair turns void in color and a soft glow lights his body from within. Raw power emits outward from his body and washes over the other three. “Insert blast chant,” Nick yells the last word and thrust his hands out in Ian’s direction. Power bursts out from where Nick is standing washes over Oliver and Luke without affecting them but tosses Ian into the air before blasting him miles from the clearing. The power that was just surrounding Nick dissipates taking with it most of Nick’s remaining energy and he drops to his knees.  
“Elemental” Oliver breathes in awe.


End file.
